My First Blogging Award

Can I just say how excited I am to get my first blogging award? Maybe it's silly, but I think this whole blogging community is pretty dang cool. I really enjoy reading other people's blogs and I absolutely love the interaction with my blogging friends.

A big THANK YOU to Kimberly at No Good Eggs for nominated me for the Liebster award! She is a fellow IF blogger that is just about to start her first cycle using an anonymous egg donor. I have also been nominated by Jen at Overworked Ovaries for the same award!  Her and her husband have been TTC since 2008 and they are gearing up to start their 3rd round of IVF soon.



This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers…the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

If you receive the award, there are a few rules to follow…

• Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves
• Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked
• Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate
• They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post
• Bloggers must be notified of their award!
• No tag backs!

This may take awhile.  haha!

11 Things about me:

1.  I have been coaching girls fastpitch softball for going on 20 years.  My high school teams have been to the State playoffs every year except for two, including one State Championship and three Semi-Final Appearances.  My travel team has qualified for the USA/ASA National Championship Tournament the last two years and we should this summer as well.

2.  I played in the Oregon Racquetball tournament circuit for a few years until my doubles partner tore her calve muscle.

3.  I have 3 nieces and 3 nephews that are absolutely the love of my life.  Seriously.

4.  I love reading.  My favorite author is Nicholas Sparks.  I have to be careful when I start a book because I will usually end up staying up ALL night until I finish it.  I just can't put a good book down.

5.  I also love going to the movies.  I have been known to go to the movies by myself when I am upset about something.  It's a great escape into someone else's story, real or make believe, for just a few hours before having to turn back to reality.

6.  My husband and I have a goal of visiting all 50 states in our lifetime together.  So far we have been to: Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.  We don't count layovers on flights.  It doesn't count if we don't leave the airport!

7.  I am annoyed easily by people that smack their gum or make tapping noises incessantly.

8.  I did direct sales for 8 years selling PartyLite candles.  I was actually pretty good at it and earned 4 all expense paid vacations during that time.  I loved it.

9.  I'm actually pretty shy.  It's kind of weird really.  I LOVE entertaining people and can give a good speech no problem if it's about something I know well and enjoy.  I enjoy making people laugh.  But put me in a room full of people I only kind of know, in a social setting?  Yeah, that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

10.  I love scrapbooking, but will never in my life finish all of my pictures.  It is just not possible.

11.  I was a major tomboy growing up.  I was the wall ball champion at lunch time in middle school.  I skate boarded with the neighbor boys.  I climbed trees, played in the dirt, and played with spiders (gross!  Now I HATE them!).  I've never really worn make up and I don't do my hair fancy.  I just am who I am.

Questions from Kimberly:

1. If you were going to be on the cover of a magazine, what magazine would it be?  Sports Illustrated

2. What would be the headline?  Softball Team Wins National Championship

3. What is the best decision you almost didn’t make?  Pursuing IF treatments

4. What is the most dreamy date you have ever been on?  To the Oregon Coast when my husband proposed to me.

5. What one quality can you just not stand in other people?  Rudeness

6. What is your favorite room in your home? Living room.  I love being all cozy on the couch in my pj's with a blanket watching a favorite t.v. show.

7. What did you sleep with as a comfort item when you were little?  I had a baby blanket and LOTS of stuffed animals

8. What is the best meal you have ever had?  Oh gosh.  I don't know.  I love Mexican food.

9. Pick one for the rest of your life: movies or TV shows?  That's a tough one.  I like both.  Probably movies.

10. If you start a book and don’t like it, do you finish it or ditch it?  Usually finish it.  Some books just start off slow and end great.

11. How did your parents choose your name? The other name my mom had picked out was Pippy LaRue.  I am so happy to be Amber Lyn instead.

Questions from Jen:

1. What's your biggest guilty pleasure? Watching t.v.  I am guilty of watching reality t.v. like the Biggest Loser, American Idol, X Factor, and America's Next Top Model.  Oh, and the Bachelor.
2. Snacks...salty or sweet? Both.  How about chocolate covered pretzels?  or salted carmels?
3. What's your favorite book? All of Nicholas Spark's books.  Favorites?  The Wedding, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Last Song  (The books are of course better than the movies)
4. How did you meet your spouse? First week of college playing volleyball with a group of friends
5. What's the scariest thing you've ever done? Give myself shots for IVF
6. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life? Tough question.  Maybe Jennifer Lawrence?
7. Do you have any hobbies? reading, scrapbooking, sports
8. Do you prefer the city or the country? I actually like both, but would prefer living in the country
9. What is the farthest place you have ever traveled to? Aruba
10. Do you have pets? No, we are dreading the day our child asks up for a pet.
11. What was your first job? babysitting.  And then I worked in a day care when I was in high school for awhile.

My Questions to you:

1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but don't think you'll ever actually work up the courage to actually do it?
2. What would your dream job be and are you doing it now?
3. Who is the one person in your life that you look up to and admire the most?
4. What is your favorite t.v. show?
5. What is your favorite memory from high school?
6. Did you play sports when you were younger?
7. What and where was your best vacation ever?
8. What are your top 3 favorite movies?
9. What is your favorite thing to cook?
10. What kind of music do you listen to?  Favorite artist?
11. If money were no object, what is one big thing that you would purchase?

Bloggers I nominate:

This is actually kind of difficult because everyone seems to have already been nominated for the Liebster award already!  I am going to do some research and as I find my 11 new blogger friends, I will update this post.

1. Andy at I Won't Give Up
2. Jane at Mine to Command
3. Candi at Putter Pie
4. Aspgriswold at  Our Grisworld 
5. Liz at Wishing on a Snowflake
6. Teresa at Where the *bleep* is Our Stork?
7. Aramis at It Only Takes One